Gratium
Gratium is the former capital of Vicra, and the largest city on the island of Kinan. The city is governed by Adad Gerswe. The principal exports of Gratium are fish, quince, and stonework. Early history Gratium has been inhabited since the first settlement on Kinan, although it only became populous enough to be considered a city in the past millennium. Erwin Demrik, a Lorgane sailor, described Kinan as "home to a sorry people, housed only in huts" in the later 500s BT; however, Christophe II of Pierroge received a Kinaian ambassador in 405 BT, who was "from a charming Town known as Gradium." Owing to its safe harbor, Gratium became the foremost port on Kinan. It was here that Jamshid the Unifier set out from when he established the nation of Vicra, and so it became the capital of the newly established state. When Jamshid III died heirless in 35 BT, Gratium was nevertheless held as significant, and so control of Gratium became a major route to legitimacy for the contenders to the throne. Andro Sagi continued the monarchy from the Gratium palace, and his works of writing were stored in the Library of Gratium as well. Capital of Vicra Gratium remained the economic and cultural hub of Vicra under the Sagi monarchs; this was especially true during the Vicran Divide, since rival cities like Tocba had defected to Khovar. Thus, when Khovar was reintegrated into Vicra, Gratium stood unquestioned as the nation's nerve center. The Vicran Divide also saw Gratium build up a significant naval presence, and although the navy was largely inactive during the long reign of Jamshid V, it would be put to use during the Kenkori Campaign. A 125 law had limited the size of most cities' fleets, and so it was the Gratiene armada that dominated the Vicran navy. However, the acquisition of Gedging would challenge Gratium's supremacy— Gedging was the only Vicran city on the Amitrolarean landmass, and it consequently became a popular destination for Vicra's merchants and xenophiles. For much of the third century, the challenge of Gratiene administration was in balancing its role with that of Gedging and other ports. Total centralization around Gratium was no longer feasible, but the princes of this era still wanted to maintain Gratium as a particularly preeminent cultural hub. Sandfever Migration During the Vicran Plague of the 290s, many prominent personages fled Gratium in favor of the mainland; Gratium was one of the cities hardest hit by sandfever, and even Prince Govad VII spurned the city after his predecessor's death in 293. Insult compounded injury in 305, when Govad declared Gedging to be the new capital of Vicra. The power vacuum left in Gratium held a powerful allure to those who remained on Kinan; relatively poor inland nobles made moves on the city, as did wealthy craftsmen who hoped to inaugurate their own noble lines. After a period of warfare, Gratium ultimately rallied around Rashun Gerswe, a furniture-maker turned lord. Notably, Gerswe and his descendants remained loyal to the Vicran crown, while many other Kinaian powerbrokers declared themselves as independent nations; this allowed Gratium to become a safe beachhead for the Vicrans when Jamshid VII began his reconquest of Kinan. Although Gratium was never restored as Vicra's capital, it was the seat of the short-lived Vicran parliament. Today, it still exists as a very traditional Vicran city; major industries include quince cultivation, fishing, and the manufacture of stone furniture. Xyarat is one of the most popular religions in Gratium, as is belief in the traditional Vicran pantheon; many Gratienes subscribe to both faiths. Category:Cities Category:Vicran Cities